24 July 2010

Diving in Sri Lanka. Hundreds of Fabulous Dive Sites and Famous Ship Wrecks

24th July 2010, www.divesrilanka.com

Welcome to Sri Lanka, a beautiful paradise island with hundreds of fabulous dive sites. Come dive the dozens of famous ship wrecks dating back to the colonial era and also visit coral reefs, under sea caves & rock formations all around our island.

For millennia, paths of travelers from strange lands beyond and yonder have fallen across a small island of paradise in the Indian ocean that will one day be known as Sri Lanka. Traders and invaders have come and gone; remnants of their legacy evident only by the infusion to the islands culture and the derelict remains of their transportation, once mighty symbols of trade, commerce and imperial power, now mere echoes from the past resting beneath the waves of the coastal seas. These are the ancient ship wrecks of Sri Lanka, testimonials of a rich and long cultural history and portals from the present to a bygone era that once were.

Based on historical records there are over 200+ estimated ship wrecks around the coast of Sri Lanka. Many have been located and the search continues to this day using advanced resonance scanning technology. Five hundred years of trade, commerce, conflict and war from the times of the Portuguese, Dutch and the British resulted in vast amount of shipping traffic all around the coast of Sri Lanka and thus the reason for the proportionately high number of wrecks.

FAQ: Diving in Sri Lanka

Which regions in Sri Lanka can I dive? When is the best to dive there? Sri Lanka is an island! Which means you can dive almost every where! But we have two major seasons which dictates which side of the island we can dive. These are the West Coast Season (November-April) and East Coast Season (May-October).

Look at this Dive Calendar for more information on dive regions and when to dive

What type of diving do you get in these regions? We have several popular regions for diving.

Kalpitiya - Rocky/Coral Reefs including the Bar Reef Marine Sanctuary (Snorkel)
Negombo - Rocky/Coral Reefs and great marine life
Colombo - Rocky/Coral Reefs and Ship Wrecks
Beruwala -Deep rocky outcrops and Coral
Bentota - Rocky outcrops and Coral
Hikkaduwa - Rocky outcrops, Coral Reefs and Ship Wrecks. Can Snorkel in Lagoon
Unawatuna,- Rocky reefs and Ship Wrecks
Weligama, Shallow Rocky/Coral Reefs
Tangalla - Not explored and documented by us yet
Basses - Fantastic limestone reef with ship wrecks and amazing fish life
Trincomalee - Rocky/Coral Reefs
Batticaloa - Rocky/Coral Reefs and shallow & deep Ship Wrecks

Are the dive shops qualified and to standard? The major dive centers located in reputed hotels and run by PADI certified professionals with years of diving international dive experience but with intimate knowledge of local dive sites.

Are there shore dives? How do you access dive sites?
Shore dives are a rarity. Operators generally have small boats (for about 6 divers). Some do have larger boats for about 15 divers. Most dives are before noon and, depending on the operator, could mean a two tank dive or a trip back to the shore to reload for the second dive. The boat trips are pretty quick ranging from 10 minutes to 45 minutes depending on the location.

All most all major dive operators have an on board supply of pure Oxygen in the unlikely event of a Decompression Illness emergency. The boats are also equipped with radio and cell phones to activate Emergency Medical Services if required. The dive objective could change depending on what you encounter on the way! Sometimes the visibility is so good that you would see interesting rock formations on the way and wish to dive then and there, or the boat could bump into a Whale Shark or Manta Ray and everyone will forget all about diving and snorkel with the beast for the rest of the morning!

Can I get my PADI certifications in Sri Lanka?
Most of the reputed dive centers offer certifications up to Instructor. The Open Water, Advanced and Rescue Diver courses may take about 3 to 4 days each at costs ranging from EURO 350 to EURO 450.

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